MIDNIGHT CITY - "Pilot" / "Miracle Man"

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MIDNIGHT CITY"Pilot" / "Miracle Man"Written byDan LevinsonRegistered by WGA EastDan Levinson4 Hillside AvenueGreat Neck, NY 11021(516) 382-2375[email protected]MIDNIGHT CITYPilot” / “Miracle Man”TEASERINT. OPERATING ROOM - TIME UNKNOWNA lonely heart monitor beeps in blackness.The tip of a syringe glistens, and injects a fluid into an unknown gray surface.Several SURGEONS are working diligently on what appears to be a MALE PATIENT - he is partially obstructed by the doctors.They are in a vast space. A dark space. Beyond the illumination of their small circle of high-powered lamps is impenetrable shadow, with one exception --A booth, high up on the far wall. A large group of PEOPLE IN SUITS and LAB COATS (30s-60s) look on. MR. GRAY SUIT (50s-60s) stands in front; he appears to be their leader.There is an old-fashioned wall clock behind them. It ticks away the seconds. It is 2:25. No AM or PM visible.Aside from the ticking of the clock, the heavy breathing of the surgeons, and the sounds of their unknown work, there is utter silence.The face of the male patient is serene; he is a man in his 30s, average-looking, with brown eyebrows. The rest of his hair is shaved, because --He is undergoing brain surgery. A metal apparatus keeps his head in place.Gray Suit watches intently. His eyes are bottomless pits, peering down his hooked nose without an ounce of warmth.The clock on the wall ticks away behind Gray Suit and his cohorts. Five, ten, fifteen minutes go by.The lead surgeon is finishing stitching up the patient’s scalp. The patient’s face is still calm. Relaxed.Suddenly the patient’s eyes snap open. Wide. In an instant he has gone from peaceful to being in intense pain.2.He screams. It echoes through the vast space, a sudden burst of noise.The surgeons recoil.The men and women behind Gray Suit flinch. Gray Suit remains completely expressionless.The lead surgeon motions for something. LEAD SURGEONSedative.Another surgeon reaches for a fresh syringe on a tray.The patient’s eyes bulge. He screams again. Blood vessels pop on his neck and forehead. His face turns red, and sweat begins to bead on his skin.There is a squealing of metal. The apparatus holding the patient’s head breaks, and he springs upright.The surgeon with the sedative goes to inject it into his IV. The patient jerks his head towards her. With a sickening crunch, the surgeon’s forearm snaps back the wrong way.She screams. One of the male surgeons moves to restrain the patient, but his bottom ribs collapse inward. The surgeon’s eyelids flare in surprise. He coughs, and blood stains his surgical mask. Above, Gray Suit turns to a severe, dark-haired WOMAN WITH GLASSES (early 40s) in a lab coat.GRAY SUITKill it.Gray Suit turns on his heel. The others part like a sea before him. He exits through a door at the back.Glasses tilts her head impassively. She opens a panel on the wall and hits a red button labeled DANGER.Immediately, sirens begin to blare down below. Red warning lights on the ceiling spin to life.Below, the patient has pulled completely free from his restraints, and he wreaks havoc on any doctors in his way.All remaining surgeons flee -- 3.But a massive steel quarantine door springs down and blocks their path.The surgeons yell and pound on the door.The patient stalks towards them, slowly, his body language frighteningly calm despite his mad gaze and blood-stained medical gown.Gas floods in from vents, filling the room.The doctors go into a full-blown, futile panic. The patient extends an arm, and the metal door crumples, then flies across the room, taking most of the unlucky surgeons with it.The patient advances out of the room into a white hallway, its florescent lights in stark contrast to the darkness in the surgical suite from which he’s come.His face twists itself into a gruesome grin; the expression pulls at the untrimmed surgical thread sticking up from the stitches on his scalp.END OF TEASER4.ACT ONEINT. JOHN’S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - MORNINGEarly morning sunlight filters through shabby brown curtains. As it plays through the cluttered, cramped bedroom, it illuminates --Nearly a hundred newspaper articles that cover a large section of exposed brick wall. The headlines read:“MIRACLE” MAN JOHN MASON SUFFERS BIZARRE TRAGEDY.HERO COP LOSES CHILD.AMBER ALERT: POLICE DETECTIVE’S DAUGHTER MISSING.They are all about the daughter of DETECTIVE JOHN MASON (30s), who is sleeping in the bed beneath the slew of clippings. He is a handsome man, but he bears the scars of painful memories: several days growth of stubble; eye sockets hollowed out and haunted; brown hair unwashed and unkempt. He is in rumpled clothing, presumably from the day before.John’s cell phone goes off on a night table.He takes a few seconds to wake, then answers.JOHNMason.EXT. ALLEYWAY - CONTINUOUSDETECTIVE SERGEANT LOU HARRIS (50s), black, is on his cell phone. He stands within the confines of yellow police tape.LOUJohn, where the hell are you?INTERCUT PHONE CONVERSATIONJOHNSorry...LOUS’posed to be here a half hour ago.JOHNLou, I’m leaving now.5.John swings his feet over the side of the bed, rubs his eyes.LOUThis one’s real far out, Johnny boy. See it to believe it kindathing.JOHNText me the address. John hangs up. He sits for a while, though whether it is sheer grogginess or some deep contemplation is anyone’s guess.Behind him, the wall of newspaper clippings loom ominously.INT. JOHN’S APARTMENT - BATHROOM - MORNINGJohn brushes his teeth. He pauses and appraises the image in the mirror. He looks terrible.EXT. ALLEYWAY - MORNINGJohn’s brown Buick pulls up on the street in front of the cordoned-off alleyway.He double parks behind an ambulance and gets out, holding two cups of coffee.At the back of the ambulance are DR. JAYA CHAUBEY (30s), Indian American, British accent, and another CORONER (50s). They are loading a misshapen body bag into the vehicle.John tucks one of the coffees into the crook of his arm and reaches to tug open the zipper on the bag.Chaubey slaps his hand away.DR. CHAUBEYYou spill that on my corpse and I’m shipping two bodies to the morgue.Their gazes meet; they have an unspoken conversation. Finally, Chaubey acquiesces.DR. CHAUBEY (CONT’D)A peek.She unzips it a bit. John looks inside, grimaces.DR. CHAUBEY (CONT’D)Good?6.John nods. She rezips the bag, resumes her work.John heads to the mouth of the alleyway, ducks under the police tape.Lou is standing there, observing the CRIME SCENE TECHS.LOUYou look like my grandmama’scooking after she went blind from diabetes.John hands Lou a cup of coffee.LOU (CONT’D)Saw the body?JOHNYeah.LOUFar out, like I told you.JOHNYeah.LOUCome on.He leads John to a circle of techs collecting evidence, who are centered around -- A pool of blood and an outline of the body’s grotesque position - the upper torso face down, with the lower torso and legs bent backwards at an impossible angle.JOHNThis is...LOULook here.Lou takes out evidence bags from the pocket of his overcoat. One has a wallet, cell phone, lighter, other miscellanea. The other bag has a Glock .22.LOU (CONT’D)Vic’s a punk named Joe Reyes. Holding the gun when we found him. Has an open warrant for aggravated assault, armed robbery. Who knows what else we’ll get off his prints and ballistics.7.JOHNRobbery gone wrong.LOUMakes sense. Coulda fell from up there, somewhere.JOHNNo broken glass. He didn’t come through a window.LOUThere’s a fire escape. Or off the top of the roof.JOHNArmed robbery on the roof?LOUHe was running from the botched robbery, jumped for the next building over... Splat.JOHNHe snaps himself neatly in half.LOUYou fell twenty-seven stories with that whacko Earl Wayne Gibson. He pancaked and you got up and limped away. Stranger things have happened, John.(beat)Got something?John examines the chalk outline. He turns on his heel and begins walking back towards his car.LOU (CONT’D)What gives, man?John keeps walking.Lou, now a ways behind, says something inaudible to a CSUtech and points to the nearby fire escape, and to the roof.John heads straight to his car. INT. JOHN’S CAR - CONTINUOUSJohn gets in the car, starts it up.A moment later, Lou climbs into the passenger’s seat.8.LOUI’m worried about you.JOHNDon’t do this.LOUI know something ‘bout people self-destructing, and you’re close to another grand explosion, brother.JOHNLou-LOUNow you listen to me a damn minute!Lou’s sudden temper shocks John into silence.LOU (CONT’D)I had a brother. Older. Way older, twelve years. Died in prison ‘fore you and I met. Got involved in drugs, and, well, the rest is the same ol’ story.JOHNI’m not on drugs.LOUYour daughter... That case is your drug, John. It’ll kill you.John stares at the steering wheel, face filled with bitter anger at hearing the truth.Lou watches him. When he sees he’ll get no response, he opens the door, gets out. He leans in to say one last thing.LOU (CONT’D)Let you know if we find anything.Lou shuts the car door.INT./EXT. JOHN’S CAR/STREET - CONTINUOUSJohn’s car pulls away from the crime scene. Seconds later, a white van pulls out of a nearby spot and follows.John notices the van pull out. As he drives, he keeps checking his rearview mirror -- 9.The van keeps pace with him several cars back.John suddenly switches lanes, makes a left at an upcoming intersection.He watches the mirror intently.Just as he is starting to relax, the van pulls around the corner behind him.John squints, but the position of the sun creates a glare that keeps him from getting a good look at his tail’s face. The masculine black-gloved hands gripping the steering wheel, however, are quite clear.John hangs another sudden turn --INT./EXT. JOHN’S CAR/BACK STREET - CONTINUOUSInto a cramped back street. He pulls halfway down, edging past dumpsters, and waits.He looks at his watch. Five seconds. He looks up. Ten. Fifteen seconds.The white van pulls around the corner and --John jumps. He grips the wheel and jolts up ten feet before clamping down again on the brake.The van edges up slightly.John stares again into the rearview, forehead breaking out in perspiration.He takes a deep breath --And floors the gas.His Buick barrels forward. The van starts up behind him.John, hands shaking, clips a dumpster. The impact jars it out of place.The van swerves to avoid it and sustains a minor impact against the alley wall.INT./EXT. JOHN’S CAR/AVENUE - CONTINUOUSJohn pulls out of the alley like hell on wheels. He hangs a right, swinging wide, and --

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MIDNIGHT CITY - "Pilot" / "Miracle Man"

John Mason was a great detective, and when he fell twenty-seven stories with serial killer Earl Wayne Gibson and walked away, he became "Miracle Mason", an overnight hero. John had it all: perfect family, perfect job, perfect life.

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